1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an anode active material for a lithium rechargeable battery, methods of preparing the anode active material, and a lithium rechargeable battery including the anode active material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithium metal has been used as an anode active material in a lithium battery. When the lithium metal is used, however, dendrites are formed which can result in a short-circuit, increasing a possibility of an explosion. Accordingly, instead of lithium metal, a carbonaceous material is often used as an anode active material in commercially available lithium ion batteries.
As a carbonaceous active material, a crystalline carbon, such as graphite or artificial graphite, and an amorphous carbon, such as soft carbon and hard carbon, may be used. The amorphous carbon has high capacity, but during charging and discharging lithium intercalation in the amorphous carbon is highly irreversible. Crystalline carbon has a relatively high theoretical capacity, but there are practical limitations to the capacity of crystalline carbon such that its capacity is unsatisfactory for a high-capacity lithium battery.
Metal-based and intermetallic compound-based anode active materials are being studied to resolve these problems. Metals can intercalate or deintercalate more lithium than a carbonaceous anode active material. However, when compared to a carbonaceous material, the metals have poor cycle characteristics, hampering their practical use. Thus there remains a need for an improved anode active material for a high capacity battery.